Bulletins
Sunday, July 19th, 2026
16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
St. Mary, St. Patrick, St. Philip Parishes
Mailing address for all three parishes: PO Box 35, Seneca WI 54654
Website: https://www.catholicchurchesofncc.com
Confessions: Normally, 30 minutes before every Mass and by appointment.
Normal Monthly Eucharistic Adoration:
St. Patrick: First Friday after the 8:30 AM Mass
St. Philip: First Sunday after the 10:30 AM Mass
Mass Intentions This Week
Sat. July 18 7:00 PM St. Patrick Good Health & Healing for Dan Kramer (Sue Knutson)
Sun. July 19 7:30 AM St. Patrick Living & Deceased Members of my Parishes
9:00 AM St. Mary Living & Deceased Members of the Virgil & Phyllis Drake Family (Robert & Theresa Ludlow)
10:30 AM St. Philip Living & Deceased Members of my Parishes
Mon. July 20 8:30 AM St. Patrick Blessings for Fr. Tom (Bishop Gerard)
Tue. July 21 8:30 AM St. Philip + Leo & Naomi Nockerts (family)
Wed. July 22 8:30 AM St. Patrick Special Intentions of Fr. Tom
Thur. July 23 8:30 AM St. Mary Special Intentions of Benjamin Myers ( Ken & Peg Myers)
Fri. July 24 8:30 AM St. Patrick + Fran Leach (Fr. Tom)
Sat. July 25 7:00 PM St. Patrick + Holy Souls in Purgatory
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sun. July 26 7:30 AM St. Patrick + Chad Houseknecht (Fr. Tom)
9:00 AM St. Mary + Royce Havlick (Dave & Maggie Mezera)
10:30 AM St. Philip Living and Deceased Members of my Parishes
Pastor: Fr. Tom Huff – Rectory 608-734-3252 email: frtomhuff@gmail.com
Bookkeeper, Bulletin, Mass Intentions, Membership: Kevin Murray 608-391-0434 or 608-734-3931 or email: secretary@ncc.diolcparish.org
Bulletin Information Deadline: Mondays at 6:00 PM. Bulletin is posted on our website.
UPCOMING PARISH EVENTS
St. Mary Announcements:
Rosary – 30 minutes before Mass
First Sunday Potluck Brunch after Mass each first Sunday of the month. All are welcome, dish to share is appreciated, but not required. Next potluck is Sunday, August 2nd.
Saint Mary’s is open 7:00am – 7:00pm daily. Please feel free to come and pray and light a candle if you would like.
Food Pantry Donations can be left in the basket in the rear of the Church.
Help Out Sheets are available at the rear of the Church, please put your completed sheets in the black box which is also at the rear of the Church. Thank you for what you can do for our parish.
St. Philip Announcements:
St. Philip Candles: Contact Bonnie Murphy. The cost is $5 per candle.
Food Pantry items are needed. Please leave any gift at the rear of the Church.
There will be a signup sheet in the back of church for our 2026 Raffle Donations. Please sign up by July 26th.
St. Patrick Announcements:
Dear St. Patrick Parishioners, Our rusty church roof needs repainting. A generous person is willing to match donations for the roof up to $10,000.00. A restricted Roof Painting Fund will be established. If you would like to donate to this restricted fund, please mail in or drop in the collection box the donation with an envelope marked: Roof Repainting Fund. Thank you for helping to keep St. Patrick's Parish in good shape! To date: $6,000.00. Thank you!
Tri-Parish Announcements:
Eucharistic Adoration – Religious Freedom is one of our most sacred American rights. Let us pray and thank our Lord that He has blessed us with the freedom to be able to worship as we choose. Please join us at our Eucharistic Adoration on Saturday, August 1, 2026, at St. Mary’s from 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM. Father Tom will hear confession at 2:30 followed by Benediction at 3:00 PM. Signup sheets are at the back of our churches. God Bless!
For Mass Intentions, if donating by check, please make all checks payable to: St. Mary Stipend Fund. To avoid errors, please print clearly the intention, who the intention is by, and if a specific date for Mass is requested. Thank You.
Tri-Parish Adult Faith Study will be at St. Mary’s on Tuesday, July 21st at 7:00 PM.
The Weekly Bulletin is available on our parishes website, this is the link to the bulletin page, updated every Friday: https://www.catholicchurchesofncc.com/bulletins
Other Announcements:
HEALING SERVICE, SACRED HEART CHURCH, CASHTON: Come and experience God’s supernatural love! Sunday, August 2, 2026. Mass at 10:00 AM, followed by Adoration. 12:15 PM Corporate Prayer for Healing, followed by Individual Prayer with Healing Teams at 12:30 PM. All are welcome. Sacred Heart Church, 1205 Front Street, Cashton, WI.
Income from Last Week
St. Mary
Adults
420.00
Plate
84.00
Building Maintenance
5.00
Catholic Life
20.00
PCCW donations
50.00
Total 579.00
St. Philip
Adults
1,145.00
Plate
46.00
Initial Offering
5.00
Catholic Life
16.00
Raffle donation
100.00
Stonework donation
1,210.00
Total 2,522.00
St. Patrick
Adults
641.00
Plate
145.00
Youth
1.00
Votives
23.00
Roof Fund
5,000.00
Total 5,810.00
DIOCESE OF LA CROSSE GUIDELINES FOR REPORTING INSTANCES OF CHILD ABUSE: The Diocese of La Crosse, through its policies and procedures, seeks to provide a prompt, appropriate and compassionate response to reporters of sexual abuse of a child by any diocesan agent (bishop, priest, deacon, employee, religious, vendor or volunteer). Anyone wishing to make a report of an allegation of sexual abuse should send that report to Mrs. Teresa Brown, Complaint Intake Agent, at the Diocese of La Crosse, P.O. Box 4004, La Crosse, WI 54602-4004. Alternatively, you can contact Mrs. Brown at 608.791.0179 or intakeagent@diolc.org. The reporting form is available through the Diocese of La Crosse Office for Safe Environment or on the diocesan website at: diolc.org/safe-environment/reporting. Individuals are also encouraged to take their reports directly to civil authorities. Copies of the diocesan policy are available through your local parish and on the diocesan website. If you have any questions about the Diocese of La Crosse and the implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, please contact Teresa Brown, Diocese of La Crosse, at 608.791.2679 or tbrown@diolc.org.
From the Priest’s Corner: Wheat and Weeds
In the gospel today we hear the story of the parable of the Good Sower who sows good seed from which wheat will germinate. The good Sower's enemy, however, secretly sows bad seed into the field and as a result the harvest will yield both wheat and weeds.
The weed in question is most likely darnel which in its early stages of growth is difficult to distinguish from wheat. Later as both the darnel and the wheat mature it is much easier to tell them apart. So, if one decides to remove the darnel at an early stage there is a real danger one will end up removing some of the wheat also. It is not surprising then that the parable advocates the second option, waiting for the harvest and separating the weeds from the wheat.
The Good Sower is Jesus, and the field represents the world. The good seed allows people to grow morally good by accepting and living out the teachings of Jesus. On the other hand, the bad seed is the seed that the devil sows desiring to spread doubt, selfishness, immorality, sadness and despair, leading people to follow their own whims and desires even if this means rejecting Jesus and His teachings.
So, we have a choice to be numbered among the weeds or among the wheat. Will we follow Jesus and His teachings or follow His enemy? The gospel also makes clear that there will be a judgment, a reckoning at the end of our lives as to the choices we have made throughout our lives. One way or another we must decide where we stand in relation to Jesus and His kingdom.
Fortunately, we have been given the means to succeed in following Jesus. We are made in the image of God and therefore we possess rational faculties. This means we have the natural ability to practice goodness and reject evil, determining right from wrong and act accordingly. Those who have been baptized have received abundant graces as a child of God. Through a dedicated prayer life and the frequent reception of the sacraments proper to our vocation, we have effective spiritual channels of grace given by Jesus to form and shape our minds and hearts.
So, we face a choice. Do we follow Jesus and strive to live according to His teachings and the teachings of His Church? Or do we turn aside from Jesus and reject the gifts He wishes to share with us? Each one of us will have to decide where we stand, and with God’s help, let us make the right choice.
Tri-Parish Prayer List – We want to pray for the sick and others in our parishes who need ongoing prayer. To be placed on or to place someone on our prayer list, please call: Sue Peterson 608-735-4865, Bonnie Murphy 608-386-4954, or Ica Boylen 608-734-3287.
Betty Raha
Tyrone Beaty
Michael Monehen
Rosanne Feye
David Jacobsen
Steve Trussoni
Janice Coggins
Sequohay Dockry
Mary (Moran) Orvis
Marian Beall
Karen McCoy
Jenna Friar
Maria Camacho
Bob Wharton
Jeri Gorman
Loyde Beers
Lisa Glass
Greg Roth
Lynn Kane
Kiara Meier
Shirley Whitby
Shay Vought
Rick Boehm
Tom Gillette
Rita Helgerson
Jeff Croke
Joyce Fisher
Gary “Bucky” George
Marvin Hansen
Claudia Safley
Eve Trussoni
Rob Donohue
Larry Boehm
Todd Safley
John & Betty Lynch
Rhiana Morga
Joshua Ecklund
William Wright
Rob Tittle
Gene & Mary Murphy
Linda Cowan
Jerry Boehm
Phyllis Bell
Donnie Moran
Jess Zimple
Lea Whitby
Nicholas Currich
Alice Boehm
Alan Whitby
Jenna Peterson
Janet Black Yznaga
Jeanette Wallenhorst
Connor Murray
Wade Dull
Mason Evens
Susan Monehen
Wanda Mather
U.S. Southern Dioceses Confront the Challenges of Rapid Catholic Growth
By Gigi Duncan from the National Catholic Register on July 9, 2026
As Catholic populations surge across the American Southeast, dioceses are racing to expand parishes, cultivate vocations and ensure growth becomes lasting renewal.
On a typical Sunday morning in parts of the Southeastern region of the United States, the challenge facing Catholic parishes is not finding enough people to fill pews — it is finding enough space for everyone who shows up for Mass.
In fast-growing communities, churches are implementing additional Masses, opening overflow areas and, in some cases, livestreaming liturgies for parishioners who cannot fit inside the sanctuary. In the Archdiocese of Atlanta alone, diocesan officials report that 30% of parishes have at least one weekend Mass at or above capacity.
Parking lots fill early. Fellowship halls become temporary liturgical spaces. Parish buildings designed for a smaller Catholic presence are being asked to serve communities that have expanded far beyond their original expectations.
That reality stands in stark contrast to much of the Northeast and Midwest, where many dioceses have spent the last several years navigating parish mergers, school closures and diocesan restructuring in response to declining Catholic populations.
Across much of the Southeast, however, Catholic communities are growing alongside broader population shifts driven by people moving, new housing developments and economic opportunities.
The demographic shift has redrawn the map of American Catholicism, making the South its fastest-growing region. But bishops across the region consistently returned to the same concern: growth alone is not renewal.
Whether that growth becomes lasting stability will depend on how the Church responds — not only in buildings and vocations, but in its ability to integrate, form and sustain a rapidly changing Catholic population across the Southeast.
